KR: I find some chick's wallet this morning on the street packed full of platinum credit cards. Instead of kicking it into the ditch, stealing her identify, going on a spending spree, or some other evil plan...I call her bank and set up for a time for her to stop by my office and pick it up. She shows up with a big free lunch for me and lot of kompsahamnida, etc. Had to pry myself away from the flood of kindness as I actually have other things to do, like post on Dave's ESL Cafe.

US: Same story, major city, find some chick's wallet on the street, I catch up to her and say "hey lady you dropped your wallet". She gives me the classic American mean mug, raised eyebrow, maybe you are a terrorist or a rapist look (all men are presumed rapists) snatches it out of my hand, spins on her heel, and walks off without a word. No joke. Dude I don't know you from anyone, every male in existence is not trying to pick up on you, get over yourself, I'm giving you your freakin' wallet back cause you air-headed-out, I could have kicked it into a ditch or went on a spending spree. Develop some manners and basic respect, is that so hard?

The year is 2006. I give my LGE business card to Bobster, a very heavy drinker while out with the wives one night.

A month later, I get a phone call. It's from a journalist. Bobster got drunk and left his tattered, holey, beat up wallet in a cab. The only thing in it besides his resident card and a few 1000 won bills was my business card.

+ 1 for the Korean nice guy/girl that found his wallet and made the effort to call me.

I've been spat on here in Korea. I've also been walked into and shoulder-bumped by countless old dudes, which would be extremely rude in the states. I've had middle-aged men step in front of me at the subway line and automatically thought "Wow, cutting off a lady...how can you do that and still call yourself a man?"

I've also had an old lady go out of her way to help me out when my paper grocery bag broke. I've had people in line at grocery stores and convenience stores step in and offer help when communication breaks down with the cashier. I had a couple Korean guys who totally chewed out an older guy for cutting me off in line at a convenience store once, too.

In the states, I've had good and bad experiences too. There are differences between the two countries overall, certainly. But those differences, as far as I can tell, are mainly surface differences (e.g., the acceptability of informal speech with strangers), with just a few cultural things that are acceptable in one place but not the other (e.g., chewing with your mouth open in Korea, bumping into people in the subway in Korea, speaking casually to your elders in the United States, or using one hand to pour beer for your boss or professor in the states).